SatVu is proving that even a short-lived satellite mission can yield big business opportunities in the competitive remote-sensing sector. Despite the premature failure of its first thermal imaging satellite after just six months in orbit, the company has already signed up customers for its next satellite scheduled to launch later this year.
“We’ve actually got about $6 million worth of pre-orders already for HotSat-2, based on the data we got from HotSat-1,” Anthony Baker, SatVu’s CEO and co-founder, said in an interview with SpaceNews.
Unlike Earth observation satellites that capture images using visible light, SatVu’s HotSat satellites use thermal cameras to detect infrared radiation emitted by objects on Earth. This technology essentially creates a heat map of the planet, with different colors representing varying temperature levels across landscapes, buildings, and infrastructure.
In the crowded satellite imagery market, SatVu is carving a niche in high-resolution mid-wave infrared (MWIR) sensing. These sensors can detect heat signatures as small as 3.5 meters, enabling detailed analysis of individual buildings and infrastructure.
HotSat-1, launched in June 2023, was manufactured by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., a subsidiary of Airbus, which is also building HotSats 2 and 3. Surrey is “taking the appropriate actions” to avoid repeating the mechanical issue that crippled HotSat-1, Baker said.
The satellite’s failure came with a $10 million insurance payout — enough to keep the program moving forward, Baker said. And crucially, the data that was collected during those six months proved the technology’s value. Once customers saw what kind of insights were possible, he said, they recognized their commercial and strategic potential.
